Sundance Reno Round-Up
Sundance's 4-day CW dance weekend at the WGRF
October 9–12, 2025 • Reno, NV
Sundance is going to host a full-fledged country-western dance weekend in conjunction with the World Gay Rodeo Finals in Reno, Nevada, October 9–12, 2025. We'll have four nights of dancing in up to three rooms, three days of dance workshops in up to four rooms, dance exhibition performances. and more! It's going to feel a lot like the Sundance Stompede without it actually being the Sundance Stompede. The weekend will also host the 30th annual convention of the IAGLCWDC.
Advance registration is open now! The host hotel is a complex of three adjacent casino resorts known as "The Row." Check out more details here, including a a more comprehensive list of our offerings, and biographies of our instructors.
New Lessons Classification
Sundance Saloon
There has always been a knowledge gap between our beginning and intermediate level two-step and waltz lessons at Sundance Saloon, with the beginning lessons aimed at brand new dancers, and intermediate lessons presuming extensive experience and fluency. We are going to try to fix this by including lessons in our schedule that bridge this gap. At least for this month we are going to redefine the levels of our lessons at Sundance Saloon as follows:
- INTERMEDIATE = for folks who have taken a few beginning two-step and waltz lessons, feel comfortable maintaining the footwork, and feel ready to learn turns and positions beyond the basics that are covered in our beginner lessons.
- ADVANCED = for folks who are completely comfortable with the basics, including basic turns, exchanges, and the like. This level is essentially what we formerly called "intermediate."
You can view the monthly schedule below to see when intermediate and advanced two-step and waltz classes are offered.
Sundance In The Castro
Saturday, August 16 • 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Noe Street near Market St, San Francisco
We're so excited to bring outdoor dancing back to the Castro – on Noe Street between Market and Beaver – on our new portable dance floor! (PLEASE HELP! Volunteers still needed for set-up, tear-down, and street monitors.)
We are planning a mix of partner dancing and line dancing, with a greater emphasis on line dancing than our usual format at Sundance Saloon, along with plenty of quick lessons for the passerby. The event will repeat on October 18. This is a smoke-free event pursuant to SF Health Code Article 19L.
Also - please support our neighboring businesses, including La Méditerranée restaurant and Toni Cleaners. In particular, we're asking you to pick up or drop off your dry cleaning on the Saturday of the event!
Spring Round-Up
Sunday, May 31
Sundance Saloon
Our summer Labor Day weekend celebration is back. No BBQ this year, but we will hold a line dance extravaganza, with a line dance marathon in the main room from opening at 5:00 pm until 7:15 pm! Come ready with your requests from our regular Sundance Saloon repertoire. (We will include a smattering of "line dance pro" dances in the mix, weighted towards earlier in the evening.)
We'll still have beginning two-step and line dance lessons, moved to the back room on this night. Regular open dancing starts at 7:15.
Intermediate West Coast Swing
with Shin Aoki
Sunday, August 31: 5:15–6:15 pm
Sundance Saloon: Loft
Instructor Shin Aoki leads a one-hour workshop for intermediate west coast swing on the last Sunday of the month. Attendees should be *completely* comfortable with basic WCS patterns (e.g. side pass, underarm turn, tuck, basic whips).
Unlike most of our lessons in the loft, this class is drop-in, with no advance registration and no additional fee beyond the regular Sundance Saloon admission fee.
Underwear Night - Maybe?*
Sunday, September 14?
* If we get enough volunteers by August 15
We're hoping to hold our annual underwear night this September 14. However, it's a volunteer-intensive night, and we don't want to get caught short. So, here's the plan. We'll proceed if we get enough volunteers signed up by August 15.
As of August 10 we still have nine more shifts to fill:
- Set-up: 3:30-5 pm,
- Clothes-check: many open shifts from 6-10:30 pm
- Front door: 9-10 pm
If you can take one of these shifts, email us at volunteer@sundancesaloon.org, or sign up directly if you have a volunteer account.
Clogging at Sundance Saloon
Thursdays • 6:30–8:30 pm
Sundance Saloon: Loft
The Barbary Coast Cloggers are bringing their clogging classes to Sundance Saloon every Thursday. Clogging lessons take place upstairs in the loft, while our regular programming of two-step and line dance lessons continues on the ground level.
The schedule is:
- 6:30-7:10 - Easy Level
- 7:10-7:50 - Intermediate Level
- 7:50-8:30 - Advanced Level
The classes are drop-in and there is no additional fee beyond the regular Sundance Saloon admission.
Volunteer Opportunities
Please help us! Sundance Saloon is a community effort, dependent on lots of people chipping in a little bit. We are always looking for more help, and this has never been more true. If you have not volunteered in the past, this is a great time to think about stepping in. You can become an integral part of what makes Sundance so special.
Our needs at Sundance Saloon include set-up, front door, and coat-check. Shifts are generally one hour. No experience necessary.
SPECIAL EVENTS
We need volunteers for a number of special events through the summer. Next up:
Supporting Sundance
As an all-volunteer, member- and community-supported organization, the Sundance Association depends on your support to keep thriving. The pandemic put an extra burden on our finances, and our needs are never-ending. There are many ways to help us, and not all of them involve monetary contributions:
- Become a member of the Sundance Association by pledging an annual tax-deductible donation.
- Come on down! Support us just by showing up.
- Introduce someone new to Sundance Saloon.
- Use our coat-check on Sundays.
- Put a dollar or two in one of our tip jars.
- See if your company offers matching donations or grants for volunteer time served.
- Remember Sundance in your estate planning.
- Volunteer!
- Social media! Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Instagram. Share our posts. Share your own posts. Review us on Google, Yelp, Facebook, and Tripadvisor.
